Anthlon Bell scored a career-high 19 points off the bench and Michael Qualls added 15 as the visiting Razorbacks held off the Bulldogs.

Bobby Portis collected 13 points and seven rebounds for Arkansas (18-9, 7-7 SEC), which has won five of its last six to move back to .500 in the SEC. Coty Clarke struggled to two points on 1-of-6 shooting but contributed nine rebounds and seven assists for the Razorbacks.

Colin Borchert recorded 21 points and seven rebounds to lead Mississippi State (13-14, 3-11), which dropped its ninth straight. Roquez Johnson added 11 points and nine boards while Trivante Bloodman and Craig Sword scored 10 points apiece for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State was within 55-51 after Borchert’s 3-pointer with just over 12 minutes to play, but Bell scored seven points during a 13-3 burst to push the lead to 14 points. The Bulldogs recovered and used a 9-0 spurt to chop it back to 71-65, and I.J. Ready’s free throw cut the deficit to four points with 49 seconds left before running out of steam.

The Razorbacks led by as much as 11 points in the first half before settling for a 39-35 lead at the break. Mississippi State drew within one point early in the second but never managed to take the lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Borchert went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and Mississippi State hit 7-of-14 from 3-point range overall after entering the contest last in the SEC in 3-point percentage at 30 percent. … Portis added three blocks and has swatted away eight in the last two games. … The Bulldogs dropped back into a tie for last place in the SEC with South Carolina.